[Pearls Episode 140: Answering atheism Tuesday.]
As we finish our reflection on St. Paul’s command to “give thanks in all circumstances,” we noted yesterday that we should trust God in everything that happens to us – and when we do, saying “God, I trust You” becomes synonymous with “God, I thank you.”
There’s an important middle step that connects the two.
Why do we trust people? We trust people when we believe they have our best interest at heart. That’s why children trust their parents. Or, take the medical profession – when it functions properly, we trust our doctors because if they are well-formed and follow the Hippocratic oath, they have our best interest in mind (regrettably that is no longer as reliable as it once was).
When we entrust difficult life situations to God, we are affirming in our own heart the words of St. Paul – “God, I trust that you will work all things for good so long as I do my best to love you.”
And so this is how we perceive life through the lens of faith: I am experiencing a trial. I’ve placed God at the center of my life. God is allowing this trial to happen. Anything from God will be good for me. I am grateful for this trial.
That’s not to imply that it’s easy to truly interiorize that process, especially with our unruly emotions, as we saw on Friday. But that is the ultimate interior disposition of faith.
How does it play out with atheism? I am experiencing a trial. There is no higher power orchestrating this situation. I can either leave things to random chance, or if good is to come from this situation I must make it happen myself. If I am successful, I will be happy. If I am not successful I will either be sad or I will have to find some way to view my failure in a positive light.
Thus the age of atheism coincided with the psychological movement of the “power of positive thinking.” Yes, it was popularized by Norman Vincent Peale, who identified as Christian, but most Christian leaders of the time roundly criticized his work as essentially atheistic.
Does it help to have a positive attitude? Undoubtedly. But that’s not enough to carry people through the great trials that inevitably visit every soul on earth.
And so we again come to what is perhaps the most powerful positive thought there is, “Jesus, I trust in You.”
Blessings on your journey with Christ –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life